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STORM. ART OF TREATING TOBACCO.

NO. 337,456. Patented Mar. 9, 1886.

EINTTED dTaTes PATENT @rrrcs.

GEORGE STORM, OF NEYVYORK, N. Y.

ART OF TREATING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,456, dated March 9, 1886.

Application filed August 17, 1885. Serial No. 174,554. (No specimens) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, GEORGE STORM, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have discovered and invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Art of Treating Tobacco, of which the following is such a full, clear, concise, and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make use of and practice the same.

Before tobacco is manufactured it usually undergoes a fermentation, which, in the first instance, is generally caused by the humidity and warmth of the atmosphere acting upon the natural elements of the tobacco,'and this is'termed sweating. In addition to this first sweat, the tobacco, before it can be used for certain purposes, is moistened, or cased, as it is termed, and subjected to an artificial heat, which causes it to again ferment, and this fermentation is known as resweating. The sweating and resweating deprive the tobacco of part of its gum orjuice and produce different colors from what appeared upon the curing or drying of the tobacco after being out and taken from the plantations.

The natural sweat or fermentation has heretofore been practically uncontrollable,and consequently very uneven colors are produced by it, some portions of the leaf being dark, while others are light, besides which it weakens the texture during the period necessary for aging; and if very bright colors are desired, as is frequently the case, particularly where it is to be manufactured into smoking-tobacco, the sweat or natural fermentation is liable to continue until the tobacco either becomes too dark or too mottled to be used for purposes for which it would otherwise hZWB been well adapted. The natural sweat also leaves the tobacco in a condition as to color and appearance which oftentimes nnfits it for use in the manufacture of cigars, and to overcome these effects byproducing even or uniform colors, as well as to further eliminate or neutralize its rank elements, the tobacco is generally subjected to the resweating process before being worked up.

In the resweating process fermentation is induced and kept up for a certain length of time, according to what are deemed to be the requirements of the tobacco with reference to the uses to which it is to be put. In determining the length of time during which this fermentation should be continued one of the most important factors to be taken into consideration is the shade or color which it is desired to produce, and this is especially true where light or medium colors are wanted. In order to bring the tobacco to the desired shade and to keep it from becoming too dark, the operator has to examine it while it is under treatment, because no certain length of time at fixed temperatures can be depended upon, inasmuch as different lots or veg-as of tobacco put into fermentation under precisely the same conditions would be Very differently affected by it, owing to the difference in their texture or constituent elements, caused, partially at least, by the climaticinfluence exercised upon the tobacco during its growth. Thejudgment of the operator must therefore be taken as the criterion as to when fermentation should cease; but hisjndgment is dependent upon the appearance of the tobacco when examined by him, and what then seems to him to beits empyreumatic properties or odors, as well as the condition of its texture.

If the tobacco appears to be sufficiently fermented,it is taken from under the direct influence of the artificial heat which during the process of resweating, is made to act upon it,

and satisfactory results might be,obtained in most instances by this method of treatment if the tobacco could be worked up at once, or if other influences did not continue to affect it. It is not always practicable,however,to manufacture the tobacco so soon as it is taken from the resweating process, and more frequently than otherwise it remains for a considerable length of time in packages or piles of some magnitude, and while in this condition the fermentation already induced continues to such an extent as to affect the tobacco to a very uncertain degree, because this after fermentation has heretofore been quite as uncontrollable as the natural sweat. \Vhether the tobacco has been under the resweating process or not, the rooms in which it is stored have, from mistaken ideas, generally been kept warm, or moderately so, during the whole year, thetemperatnre, however, be

ing susceptible to the influences occasioned by changes of the weather, and the warmth of the rooms, together with the humidity of the atmosphere at times, acts upon the inherent elements of the tobacco, which give it a natural propensity to ferment when in a moist condition and placed in bulk orsufficieutly large packages, thus causing fermentation or sweat. If the tobacco has been previously resweated and is but a short time from the process, the fermentation continuesand this after fermentation is kept up partially by the condition of the store-rooms and partially by the heat from the resweating process which it still retains. The effects of such fermentation and the continuance of the resweating fermentation occasion injuries to the tobacco, because fermentation, aside from evaporating a port-ion of the gum or juice of the tobacco, brings it to the surface and loosens it to such an extentthat it is inclined to flow or work its way to the veins, which, acting as conduits, lead it to the stem, through or along which it either runs off or is absorbed, and the hitherto uncontrollable fermentation, whether induced from natural causes or forminga continuance of the resweating process, keeps depriving the tobacco of its gum, and of course weakening its texture. Moreover, it is necessary that a certain percentage of gum should be retained by the tobacco in order to give luster or gloss to its surface,as well as strength and elasticity to its texture. Besides this, the tobacco when resweated should not continue to ferment longer than is deemed necessary whileit is under the process,because, when the operator determines the fermentation to have been sufficient, his judgment is based upon results already apparent to him, and additional fermentation not only deprives the tobacco of more gum than should be taken from it, but also changes its color from that which it wasintended to have, and these after effects not infrequently render the tobacco unfit for the use to which it would otherwise have been put, and consequently its value is depreciated.

Alter experimenting for some time I have discovered a practical method of treating tobacco, whereby I am enabled to control the sweat or fennentation, and to settle and retain so much of the gum as it is desired the tobacco shall possess, as well as to insure the required shades of color, and to improve the texture.

My method of treatment consists in subjecting the tobacco to the influence of arefrigerating agent, and keeping it under such influence for such a length of time as may, in view of the requirements of its previous condition and the after manipulation or uses to which it is to be put, be determined to be necessary. 7

In practice I may carry my process of treat mentinto effect by any suitable mechanical means, making use of any refrigerating agent adapted to have the desired action or effect upon the tobacco, and I may also vary the particular steps or conditions under which the tobacco is treated, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing I have shown as one means of applying the refrigerating agent, a series of pipes, N O P Q. located in a room in which tobacco maybe stored, such pipes being intended to have connections with a refrigeratingmachine made to cause a circulation of ammonia-gas, cold brine, or other refrigerating agent through the pipes inthe room. Such a means would probably be too expensive for the treatment of small quantities of tobacco; but it would be well adapted for use in the treatment of large quantities kept in storagein a warehouse or store room. For the treatment of small quantities of tobacco, I prefer to construct a room in the form of a small ice-house, leaving sufficient space in the center for the tobacco which is to be put under treatment, and in this connection to use ice as the refrigerating agent.

If very light colors are desired, I prefer to take the tobacco after it is cured or dried, and before fermentation has set in at all, and to place it under the influence of the refrigerating agent, and to keep it under such influence while it is aging, by which treatment I am not only enabled to prevent fermentation and preserve the constituent elements intact, but also to improve its texture while it is aging, inasmuch as there is no disturbance of its gum, and the chemical changes which it undergoes will tend in such case to give strength and elasticity to the fibers of the leaf.

if need be, the tobacco can at any time be taken from the refrigerating process and sweated artificially to the precise extent required, when the fermentation may be arrested by again subjecting the tobacco to the influence of the refrigerating agent, which influence can be continued until the gum becomes settled and fermentation ceases, or, if desired,- until the tobacco is required for use. By treating the tobacco during the time it is aging to the influence of a refrigerating agent it is not only improved, but the evil effects of a natural fermentation are completely obviated,and

the tobacco is thus under control from the time it begins to cure until the time of its manu faeture, assuming, of course, that it is properly handled'and cared for in the meantime; and if any change of purpose regarding the uses to which the tobacco shall be put occurs at any time it can of course be subjected to such treatment as theparticular circumstances may require.

\Vhere the tobacco has been marketed with no more care than has heretofore been exercised respecting its treatment, or if it has received no special treatment, my method of treatment may commence with arresting natural fermentation, if there be any, or Imay continue the aging of the tobacco under the effects of refrigeration until such time as it is put into the resweating process. As soon as the tobacco has been sufficiently resweated or fermented to eliminate, if need be, its rank elements orproduce the desired shades of color, I take it from the process of resweating and subject it to the influence of the refrigerating agent until the gum becomes settled and fermentation ceases, and, if necessary, untilsuch time as the tobacco is required for use. Sometimes, however,I commence my course oftreatment by refrigeration after the tobacco has been put into the resweating process, and is sufficiently rcsweated, in which case the fermentation is arrested and the flow of the gum stayed in the manner before stated.

It sometimes happens, however, that the tobacco is of such a nature as to require uir usual care in its treatment, and I find thatbenefieial results may in some instances be obtained by regulating the degrees oftemperature which the refrigerating agent is made to produce in the room for containing the tobacco to be subjected to its influence-as, for instance, if the tobacco is under particular degrees of temperature in the resweating process it may be advisable to reverse the treatment by so regulating the refrigerating agent as to secure temperatures which produce directly opposite effects upon the tobacco. Again, it may be desirable to determine beforehand the temperature at which the refrigerating agent is to act, and having the atmosphere of the room into which the tobacco is to be put at the particular temperature decided upon the tobacco under fermentation may be taken and subjected to refrigeration at the predetermined temperature. In other instances it may be necessary or advisable to vary the temperature of the refrigerating-room during the course of treatment. The different conditions under which the tobacco is subjected to the influence of the refrigerating agent are, however, variutionsof detail, which, like those of the resweating process, are to a certain extent dependent upon the requirements of the tobacco under treatment as determined by the judgment of the operator.

From the experiments which I have made I have demonstrated to my entire satisfaction the beneficial. results attained by thetreatment of tobacco by subjecting it to the influence of a refrigerating agent, and I regard such treatment as being very important, inasmuch as the constant and uncontrolled draining of the gum from the tobacco, which has heretofore taken place, is injurious to the texture. Not only so, such draining is liable to and in many instances does continue until the fiber becomes dry and brittle and assumes a dead appearance, which, even though the tobacco be moistened to permit of its manipulation, will soon reappear; and if the tobacco has been manufactured into cigars the sale of such turer, because smokers, as a rule, desire fresh glossy cigars, and no cigars can be kept fresh for more than a short time unless the tobacco tain the gum and improve the texture, which becomes firm and elastic while the tobacco is aging, besides which the leaf is kept soft and pliable and the substance or life of the tobacco is not permitted to waste away. Consequently, the tobacco weighs more and will bring a better price in the market, and cigars manufactured from such tobacco will be superior to those made from tobacco which has been allowed to ferment or sweat without restraint, and the cigars can be kept fresh for a much longer time than those made from tobacco which has been allowed to ferment in the manner heretofore prevailing.

I am aware that fermentation of malt and other vegetable matter has heretofore been checked by refrigeration so as to prevent decay; but tobacco is different inits naturefrom such substances, in that it is not so liable to decay as it is to become weak and tender by the excessive draining ofitsjuice by fermentation; and, notwithstanding the fact that the prevailing sentiment seems heretofore to have been in favor of allowing the tobacco to ferment to its fullest extent, still, as before stated, fermentation is injurious unless kept under control. It not only weakens the texture, but when the gu m is agitated nicotine is developed. In the refrigeration of tobacco, however, the texture is improved by the keeping of the elements intact, and not. only so, the color remains bright and uniform, and whenever it is desired to produce darker shades this can be done by sweating or fermenting the tobacco to just the extent required and then checking the fermentation by subjecting thetobac co to the influence of the refrigerating agent, as before explained.

I do not here claim the process of treating tobacco by fermentation and refrigeration alternately, the same beingthe subject of another application filed December 2, 1885, Serial No. 184,511, of which this is a division; but,

Having thus described my discovery and invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improvement in the art of treating tobacco, which consists in subjecting the tobacco to the influence of a refrigerating agent after it has been dried or cured, during the aging thereof and before it is manufactured, whereby its gum is retained and its texture improved, substantially as described.

2. The improvement in the art of treating tobacco under sweat or fermentation, which consists in arresting fermentation by subjecting it to the influence of a refrigerating agent, substantially as described.

3. The improvement in the art of treating tobacco under sweat or fermentation, which consists in arresting fermentation by subjecting the tobacco to the influence of a refrigerating agent, and keeping it under such influence until the gum becomes settled and formentation ceases, substantially as described.

4-. The improvement in the art of treating tobacco under sweat or fermentation, which 10 consists in subjecting it to the influence of a refrigerating agent at a predetermined tem perature, and keeping it under such influence at such predetermined temperature until the gum becomes settled and fermentation ceases, substantially as described.

GEORGE STORM.

Witnesses:

WM. M. COREY, IIUBBARD HENoRicKsoN. 

